Doctor Who finale: did Russell T Davies pull it off?

Russell, you terrible tease. Dropping a regeneration on us, all unexpected cliffhanger like, at the end of last week's episode. And then dealing with it in about the first minute of tonight's season finale, with hardly a backward glance - and rushing headlong into the action. And what a lot of action - he crammed a hell of a lot into that extended 60-odd minute episode.

I know someone sussed how RTD would write his way out of having to introduce a new Doctor with a regeneration on my colleague Stephen Brook'sblog last week - I just can't remember who. Apologies. But I'm sure you know who you are.

This was in effect RTD's grand farewell - although he's doing the three specials next year, 2010's next full Doctor Who series will be overseen by Steven Moffat, so this was his last chance to write a big finale.

I've recently caught up with the RTD finales of the first two series on DVD. And this was up there in terms of scale & ambition - and if anything whipped along at an even more breathless pace.

And tied up a lot of unfinished business from the last four series - with Rose, Mickey, Jackie, Captain Jack, Sarah Jane Smith and Martha Jones all along for the ride. Oh, and Doctor Donna. For a while at least.

Personally I haven't seen an episode in this series to match my favourites from the earlier ones - Blink, The Girl in the Fireplace, Father's Day, The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, Human Nature/Family of Blood, Tooth and Claw, The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. But then I haven't seen Silence in the Library or Turn Left.

However, Doctor Who is still big, bold event TV - something I try and make an appointment to watch on Saturday evenings. And that's down to RTD more than anyone.

Early on in the final episode David Tennant looked directly at the screen and said something like "look what we did". And right at the end: "It'll pass... everything does." I think that was RTD saying goodbye. We'll miss you.